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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 116 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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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: calf · racket · bore · cue · wax · club · content · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. content — the amount
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cue — for pool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. club — for golf
  9. content — happy
  10. track — to keep track
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cue — a signal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. club — a group
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. track — a song
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bore — to drill
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cue — a hint

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