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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · ruler · mouse · wave · wound · deal · fall · land

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — a song
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. land — a country
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. track — a path
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. land — ground
  15. fall — the season
  16. land — to come down
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — an injury
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com