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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: wax · kick · track · bark · hand · key · shower · chest

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. shower — to wash
  3. key — in music
  4. shower — rain
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bark — to shout
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. key — the most important part
  12. track — a song
  13. hand — help
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chest — a box
  17. track — a path
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. key — for a lock
  22. kick — in football
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hand — part of the body

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