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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: content · pop · bark · roll · wax · ground · suit · field

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ground — a position
  5. roll — a list
  6. pop — music
  7. bark — to shout
  8. field — a subject
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. suit — to fit
  11. content — the amount
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. field — farmland
  16. ground — the earth
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. field — for sport
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — crushed
  23. content — happy
  24. pop — soda

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