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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. sharp — clever
  3. content — the amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. season — of the year
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — to grow
  18. content — happy
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. season — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bear — to put up with

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