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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 120 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: racket · tube · track · temple · mouse · wax · wind · last

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — a path
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. tube — a container
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. last — final
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tube — the underground

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