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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: tear · rash · track · wax · court · racket · coach · staff

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. track — to keep track
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. track — a song
  11. tear — to rip
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — a stick
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — for sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. court — of a king
  21. rash — a series
  22. court — of law
  23. rash — hasty
  24. staff — employees

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