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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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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 · track · tear · safe · lie · chest · net · stick

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. track — a song
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — in sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — a path
  7. lie — to recline
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chest — of your body
  11. net — for catching
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chest — a box
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — after costs
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wax — to grow
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. track — to keep track

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