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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: net · racket · hand · track · leaves · rash · wax · pop

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. track — a path
  4. net — after costs
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — a series
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. net — for catching
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hand — help
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. track — a song
  22. pop — music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. racket — for tennis

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