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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: jam · last · bear · tube · content · wax · rock · track

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. content — the amount
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. track — a path
  7. tube — a container
  8. wax — to grow
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — finally
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. last — to go on
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bear — the animal
  18. content — happy
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. track — a song
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. last — final

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