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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: mouse · wax · straw · march · track · patient · wake · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. track — a path
  15. wake — a trail
  16. key — for a lock
  17. track — a song
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. key — in music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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