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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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Word bank
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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: drill · pound · bear · wax · staff · game · track · scale

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. scale — size or range
  4. track — a path
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. scale — in music
  7. drill — a practice
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — a match
  11. pound — a weight
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — a song
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — wild animals
  23. drill — the tool
  24. track — to keep track

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