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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: drill · field · race · band · wax · track · jam · stem

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. race — the arms race
  4. track — a path
  5. drill — army training
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. field — for sport
  10. track — to keep track
  11. field — a subject
  12. stem — to come from
  13. race — a contest
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. race — humankind
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. field — farmland
  18. drill — the tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wax — to grow
  24. track — a song

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