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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 120 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: rash · stand · track · wax · sharp · cabinet · chest · land

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. track — a path
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — clever
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. rash — a series
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. land — ground
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a song
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stand — for spectators

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