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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: wax · spell · shower · last · track · net · drill · foot

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spell — a short time
  5. foot — a measure
  6. shower — rain
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — to grow
  11. drill — the tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. net — for catching
  15. spell — letters
  16. net — in sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. net — after costs
  20. track — a song
  21. shower — to wash
  22. track — a path
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. last — final

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