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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 116 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: bound · field · key · pop · stick · content · club · wax

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for golf
  4. content — happy
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bound — certain
  10. field — for sport
  11. club — a group
  12. key — in music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — farmland
  17. pop — soda
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bound — tied together
  20. field — a subject
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pop — music

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