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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 · kid · cabinet · chest · wax · ground · bowl · jam

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. track — to keep track
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. ground — a position
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. track — a path
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. track — a song
  23. chest — a box
  24. ground — crushed

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