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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: track · wake · wax · fan · fork · root · last · hand

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wax — to grow
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. track — to keep track
  9. root — the cause
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — help
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. root — of a word
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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