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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: track · patient · wax · face · stand · content · trunk · field

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. field — farmland
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. face — part of the head
  8. track — a path
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. content — the amount
  11. face — to point toward
  12. field — for sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. field — a subject
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. face — to confront
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. content — happy

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