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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 · rash · march · roll · wax · swing · last · hide

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. march — music
  3. rash — a series
  4. roll — a cake
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — final
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. last — finally
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. march — the month
  11. roll — a list
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a song
  14. rash — hasty
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — to grow
  19. track — a path
  20. last — to go on
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. swing — to play on
  24. track — to keep track

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