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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. content — the amount
  5. land — to come down
  6. key — in music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. land — ground
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a path
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. track — a song
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wax — to grow
  16. land — a country
  17. key — for a lock
  18. content — happy

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