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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 · deal · tube · ground · plane · shower · track · bass

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bass — the fish
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ground — the earth
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bass — low music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. track — a path
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — rain
  24. plane — a tool

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