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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: row · lean · bat · wax · wound · bay · track · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lean — thin
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. track — to keep track
  22. row — a line
  23. wound — an injury
  24. game — a match

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