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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
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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: wax · content · season · bear · temple · jam · track · tube

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. track — a song
  7. content — the amount
  8. track — a path
  9. bear — the animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wax — to grow
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tube — the underground
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — happy
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. season — in sport

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