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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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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. content — the amount
  9. pop — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pop — soda
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mug — a cup
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mug — to rob
  21. staff — employees
  22. content — happy
  23. mug — a face
  24. content — videos and posts

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