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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: wax · mate · pit · bear · fall · track · rush · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mate — a friend
  3. track — a path
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fall — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. track — a song
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rush — a thrill

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