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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: wound · jam · rush · track · firm · stem · wax · key

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. track — a song
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wound — an injury
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — in music
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rush — hurry
  18. firm — a company
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stem — a stem cell

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