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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. content — happy
  4. wax — to grow
  5. court — of a king
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. craft — a skill
  15. court — of law
  16. content — the amount
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. craft — boats
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — help
  22. court — for sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wax — for sculpting

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