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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. track — a path
  7. row — a line
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — a subject
  11. drill — army training
  12. field — farmland
  13. bank — of a river
  14. track — a song
  15. row — to paddle
  16. drill — a practice
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bank — for money
  20. rock — music
  21. content — happy
  22. wax — to grow
  23. drill — the tool
  24. field — for sport

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