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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: bay · season · wax · wound · deal · arm · track · dip

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. track — a song
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wax — to grow
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. track — a path
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. deal — to handle
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  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