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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. content — happy
  6. pop — soda
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cue — for pool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. content — the amount
  14. band — a music group
  15. spell — a short time
  16. band — a ring
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spell — magic
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cabinet — ministers

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