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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 116 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: bark · content · cap · straw · mark · dip · wax · band

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cap — of ice
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cap — a lid
  10. content — happy
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. band — a music group
  19. content — the amount
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cap — a hat
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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