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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 120 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 · bay · drill · fan · court · rash · can · track

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. drill — army training
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. track — a path
  8. drill — a practice
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. court — of a king
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. can — a tin
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. can — a tin
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. can — to be able to
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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