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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: rock · rest · track · ground · wax · saw · tube · temple

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — a song
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rest — a break
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. tube — the underground
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rock — a stone
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ground — a position
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ground — crushed
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a path
  24. tube — a container

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