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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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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. content — happy
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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