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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lean — to bend
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wax — to grow
  5. content — the amount
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — a friend
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stock — goods
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. land — a country
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. rest — a break
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rest — what's left
  24. content — happy

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