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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. field — for sport
  4. rock — music
  5. content — happy
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. vault — a safe
  9. content — the amount
  10. field — farmland
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spell — a short time
  17. field — a subject
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — letters
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. content — videos and posts

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