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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: dip · cold · track · mouse · wax · hide · field · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. field — for sport
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cold — an illness
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. field — farmland
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. track — a song
  23. field — a subject
  24. mouse — the animal

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