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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: rush · bulb · fall · game · track · hand · wax · stand

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. game — a match
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fall — the season
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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