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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: bore · spring · pound · can · race · wax · cap · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — the season
  4. track — to keep track
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cap — of ice
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pound — a weight
  12. race — a contest
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spring — of water
  19. wax — to grow
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. track — a path
  23. can — a tin
  24. bore — gave birth

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