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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: foot · wax · tear · land · content · pit · mate · mark

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pit — a hole
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pit — in a race
  6. land — ground
  7. content — happy
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. land — to come down
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. foot — a measure
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. tear — to rip
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. content — videos and posts

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