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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · wax · wound · racket · track · fine · prune · bore

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fine — all right
  7. track — a song
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a path
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — to grow
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bore — to tire

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