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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: pop · current · wax · track · pass · leaves · file · club

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pop — music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. club — a group
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. track — a song
  8. current — electric
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. file — a tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. file — a line of people
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wax — to grow
  16. file — a document
  17. current — of water
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pop — soda
  22. club — for golf
  23. current — happening now
  24. pass — a permit

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