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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 · chest · craft · rash · nail · wound · track · mug

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rash — hasty
  3. craft — a skill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — boats
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chest — a box
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — a series
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chest — of your body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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