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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 120 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: land · track · wax · present · march · content · wave · fine

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. march — the month
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. content — the amount
  6. track — to keep track
  7. present — the time now
  8. land — a country
  9. content — happy
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fine — all right
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — high quality
  14. present — a gift
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. march — music
  18. track — a path
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. present — there
  22. land — to come down
  23. track — a song
  24. content — videos and posts

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