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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 116 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: track · straw · tube · squash · shower · game · stand · wax

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. shower — rain
  4. stand — to bear
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wax — to grow
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tube — a container
  17. squash — to crush
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — a song
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. game — a match
  24. stand — on your feet

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