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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: ground · sharp · track · stand · firm · last · racket · wax

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. firm — a company
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. firm — decided
  7. last — to go on
  8. ground — the earth
  9. firm — steady
  10. last — final
  11. ground — crushed
  12. track — a song
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stand — to bear
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ground — a position
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. racket — for tennis

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