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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. 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. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. scale — in music
  7. spring — of water
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. content — the amount
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pop — music
  17. court — of a king
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. spring — the season
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. 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