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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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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: pit · straw · track · wind · wave · wax · key · hide

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. track — a song
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. key — in music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. key — for a lock
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wax — to grow
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wind — to turn a key

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