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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
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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: track · file · land · pitch · wax · tube · straw · rash

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. track — a song
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rash — hasty
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. land — to come down
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. file — a tool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — a series
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. track — a path

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