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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 · mouse · bound · wake · object · wax · cold · hide

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — a song
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wake — a trail
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. track — a path
  16. object — an aim
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — obliged
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. object — a thing

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