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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: track · stand · rush · content · pound · saw · wax · last

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. last — finally
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. content — the amount
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. content — happy
  13. last — to go on
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — a path
  24. last — final

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