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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: jam · club · game · swing · stand · track · wax · capital

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. club — for golf
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wax — to grow
  11. club — a group
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. swing — music
  15. stand — to bear
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — money
  19. track — a path
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. track — a song
  23. swing — to play on
  24. capital — a city

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