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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pop — music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — the amount
  10. wax — to grow
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pop — soda
  13. charge — a price
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. lean — to bend
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. content — happy
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. charge — in control
  24. bay — a horse colour

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