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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · pit · season · bowl · lie · wax · bore · capital

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pit — a hole
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. capital — money
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pit — in a race
  20. capital — a city
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bore — to drill
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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