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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: land · wax · bay · wind · craft · track · mine · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. land — ground
  3. track — a path
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wind — moving air
  12. craft — boats
  13. land — to come down
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. land — a country
  23. wind — moving air
  24. track — a song

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