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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: ball · tear · wax · pop · land · track · stock · mark

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. track — a path
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mark — a trace
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — a country
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ball — a dance
  15. track — a song
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stock — goods
  19. land — to come down
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stock — shares
  24. pop — soda

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