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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: track · shower · snap · wax · bay · row · band · net

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. band — a music group
  2. snap — to click
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. track — a song
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. track — to keep track
  13. net — in sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. net — after costs
  17. row — a line
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. net — for catching
  21. band — a ring
  22. wax — to grow
  23. track — a path
  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