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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: pit · wax · field · last · track · jam · sharp · stem

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wax — to grow
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. last — finally
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. last — final
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. field — a subject
  11. last — to go on
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — a song
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — farmland
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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