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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.

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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: chest · pit · track · mark · wax · charge

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — a price
  9. chest — of your body
  10. charge — in control
  11. track — a path
  12. chest — a box
  13. mark — a grade
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. track — a song

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