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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — to grow
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pop — soda
  13. content — happy
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — rain
  16. pop — music
  17. rule — government
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. shower — to wash
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pop — to visit
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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