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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: wax · mate · snap · track · present · field · bass · wake

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. present — there
  7. mate — a partner
  8. field — farmland
  9. present — the time now
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. track — a song
  14. field — for sport
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mate — a friend
  21. field — a subject
  22. wax — to grow
  23. track — a path
  24. wake — a trail

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