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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: jam · game · court · pound · track · tear · capital · wax

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — to keep track
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. court — for sport
  13. capital — a city
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. court — of law
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. court — of a king
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a match
  22. capital — money
  23. track — a song
  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