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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. board — a committee
  6. bank — for money
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bank — of a river
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. bank — for money
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kid — child
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. drill — army training
  21. board — to get on
  22. drill — a practice
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — for sculpting

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