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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: wax · bound · foot · track · spell · leaves · hand · pass

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. track — a song
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wax — to grow
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. spell — magic
  9. track — to keep track
  10. spell — a short time
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spell — letters
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. hand — help
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bound — obliged
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. leaves — lets stay

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