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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. content — happy
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cold — an illness
  8. key — in music
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. content — the amount
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. key — the most important part
  20. row — a line
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. key — for a lock
  24. perch — for a bird

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