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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — the amount
  3. hand — help
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. content — happy
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bass — the fish
  22. foot — a measure
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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