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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 · pit · bat · field · sharp · bound · wax · can

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. field — farmland
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bound — tied together
  10. track — a song
  11. field — for sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. can — a tin
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. track — a path
  24. pit — a hole

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