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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 120 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: coach · track · hand · land · wax · lie · chest · pit

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. hand — help
  8. land — ground
  9. chest — of your body
  10. track — a song
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pit — in a race
  15. lie — to recline
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chest — a box
  24. wax — in the ear

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