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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hand — help
  6. net — in sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. net — after costs
  9. ball — a great time
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. content — happy
  12. net — for catching
  13. wax — to grow
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. band — a ring
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ball — a dance
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a music group
  20. rock — music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hand — in cards

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