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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: racket · drill · wax · track · mark · wave · sharp · hand

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. track — to keep track
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mark — a trace
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mark — a grade
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. track — a song
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hand — in cards
  21. track — a path
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — army training
  24. wax — to grow

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