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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: spring · net · track · mine · toast · patient · wax · cap

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cap — a lid
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spring — a coil
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — of water
  16. cap — of ice
  17. net — after costs
  18. track — a path
  19. spring — the season
  20. toast — bread
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. track — a song
  24. cap — a hat

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