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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pop — music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spring — the season
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spring — of water
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. content — the amount
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. content — happy
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — soda
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rest — a break
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rest — what's left

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