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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 120 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: track · bark · wax · mate · spell · bulb · staff · content

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mate — a partner
  8. track — a path
  9. content — the amount
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. track — a song
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. content — happy
  19. spell — magic
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. spell — letters
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — a short time

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