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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: kick · present · file · stick · wax · ground · hand · track

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a tool
  6. track — a path
  7. present — a gift
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. file — a document
  10. present — there
  11. wax — to grow
  12. file — a line of people
  13. track — a song
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kick — in football
  16. ground — crushed
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. present — the time now

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