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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. content — the amount
  5. wax — to grow
  6. land — a country
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. content — happy
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fork — in a road
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. land — ground
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. land — to come down
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. jam — a tight spot

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