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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. spring — of water
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mug — a face
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. season — in sport
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spring — the season
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. season — of the year
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. content — the amount
  24. toast — a drink to someone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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