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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: key · pound · wax · racket · march · track · wake · pit

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wake — a trail
  4. march — the month
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pit — a hole
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. track — a song
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — music
  18. track — to keep track
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. track — a path

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