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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: spell · bark · bulb · wax · track · bay · chest · land

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bulb — for light
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spell — magic
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. chest — a box
  7. land — ground
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wax — to grow
  13. track — a song
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. land — to come down
  16. bark — to shout
  17. chest — of your body
  18. land — a country
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spell — letters
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. track — a path

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