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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 · jam · chip · drill · fork · track · hand · pitcher

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. track — a song
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — for betting
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a path

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