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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · fine · pass · wax · spell · track · pound · race

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spell — letters
  3. ground — a position
  4. pound — a weight
  5. track — a song
  6. race — humankind
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fine — all right
  13. race — a contest
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. ground — the earth

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