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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: wax · chip · track · cold · press · bank · field · shower

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. press — newspapers
  3. shower — rain
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. track — to keep track
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. field — for sport
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bank — of a river
  10. press — to push
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bank — for money
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. track — a song
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bank — for money
  21. track — a path
  22. field — a subject
  23. cold — not warm
  24. field — farmland

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