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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: bear · track · mate · content · charge · wax · band · mine

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. charge — a price
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. track — to keep track
  8. content — happy
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. track — a song
  13. wax — to grow
  14. content — the amount
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. band — a music group
  17. track — a path
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. band — a ring
  24. mate — a partner

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