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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · wax · present · key · rash · bulb · straw · track

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cell — in biology
  3. track — a song
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rash — a series
  13. track — a path
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. present — there
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bulb — for light
  18. key — in music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cell — a phone
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wax — to grow
  24. straw — a straw man

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