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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: pit · wake · wax · spring · track · firm · wind · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. track — a song
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. firm — steady
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — a path
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wake — a trail
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. firm — a company
  14. pit — in a race
  15. firm — decided
  16. spring — of water
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wind — to turn a key

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