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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · tear · perch · nail · track · spring · wax · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — the season
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tear — to rip
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. track — a song
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wax — to grow
  17. track — a path
  18. wound — an injury
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tear — from crying

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