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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 116 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: wax · last · bay · face · bass · track · land · key

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a song
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — to confront
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. last — final
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. key — in music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. land — ground
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wax — to grow
  19. face — to point toward
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. last — to go on
  23. bass — the fish
  24. last — finally

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