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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bear — the animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. content — happy
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. last — final
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. last — finally
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. root — of a word
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — to go on
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. squash — the sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. bear — to put up with

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