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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · track · wound · net · drill · bark · wax · cell

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. net — for catching
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cell — in biology
  12. track — to keep track
  13. drill — the tool
  14. track — a path
  15. drill — a practice
  16. net — after costs
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. drill — army training
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — a song
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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