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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: date · content · bear · march · race · hide · wax · pop

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — music
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wax — to grow
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. race — a contest
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. content — the amount
  19. pop — soda
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — to visit
  24. content — happy

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