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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: track · bat · dip · field · bank · cabinet · wax · key

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. track — to keep track
  10. field — for sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. key — in music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. track — a song
  20. key — for a lock
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wax — to grow
  23. track — a path
  24. bank — for money

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