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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: last · track · stand · leaves · ball · wax · mate · band

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — a friend
  9. track — a path
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stand — to bear
  13. last — finally
  14. ball — a dance
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — final
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a music group
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. track — to keep track
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. band — a ring

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