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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wax · track · fine · wound · bat · tube

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fine — all right
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. tube — a container
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — in a tire

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