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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mark — a trace
  4. drill — army training
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mug — a cup
  9. content — the amount
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mug — a face
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mug — to rob
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wax — to grow
  19. board — a committee
  20. clip — a video
  21. rush — hurry
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mark — a grade
  24. board — to get on

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