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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
468
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 · foot · wound · track · hide · wax · row · net

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wound — an injury
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pit — a hole
  10. track — to keep track
  11. net — for catching
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — after costs
  14. wax — to grow
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pit — in a race
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. track — a path

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