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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — to grow
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. saw — the tool
  23. content — happy
  24. bear — the animal

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