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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: cue · drill · pitcher · track · pass · mouse · wax · hand

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. track — a song
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pass — a permit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. drill — army training
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. hand — help
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mouse — the animal

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