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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: roll · row · wax · kid · lash · branch · track · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. track — a path
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. game — a match
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — child
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. track — a song
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. kid — to tease
  24. track — to keep track

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