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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: nail · club · pass · wax · saw · track · band · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pass — a permit
  3. track — a path
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a ring
  7. track — a song
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. net — in sport
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. track — to keep track
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — to grow
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — for catching

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