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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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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: club · field · band · wax · track · cue · arm · ground

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wax — to grow
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. field — farmland
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cue — a signal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cue — for pool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. track — a path
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — crushed
  13. club — a group
  14. cue — a hint
  15. ground — a position
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. club — for dancing
  22. field — a subject
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. club — for golf

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