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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · club · bark · race · temple · wax · track · capital

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. track — a path
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. capital — money
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. race — humankind
  8. wax — to grow
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — the arms race
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bark — to shout
  14. capital — a city
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. race — a contest
  17. club — for dancing
  18. game — a match
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. game — wild animals
  23. temple — side of the head
  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