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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 116 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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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: row · hand · march · pit · ground · bank · wax · track

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ground — a position
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. wax — to grow
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. track — a path
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bank — for money
  21. track — a song
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — part of the body

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