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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. field — a subject
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bulb — for light
  11. content — the amount
  12. field — farmland
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fall — the season
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — for light
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. field — for sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. arm — part of the body

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