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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 116 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: fine · wax · snap · track · fan · wound · hand · dip

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. snap — to click
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hand — help
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wound — an injury
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. track — a path
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fine — a penalty

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