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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: field · nail · club · wax · pitcher · stand · track · snap

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. track — a song
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — a group
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. field — for sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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