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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 124 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. band — a music group
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — the amount
  7. vault — a safe
  8. craft — boats
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. court — for sport
  12. band — a ring
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. craft — a skill
  15. court — of a king
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. content — happy
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. court — of law

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