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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: wax · content · toast · spell · cabinet · cold · net · track

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — a short time
  6. toast — bread
  7. content — the amount
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a path
  10. content — happy
  11. spell — magic
  12. cold — an illness
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. net — after costs
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. track — a song
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wax — to grow
  24. net — for catching

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