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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.

Words on the sheet
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: band · bear · mug · track · wax · row · kid · degree

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mug — to rob
  4. track — to keep track
  5. kid — child
  6. track — a path
  7. band — a ring
  8. row — a line
  9. band — a music group
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — to paddle
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mug — a face
  19. bear — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — a song

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