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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. capital — a city
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. board — a committee
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bank — of a river
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bank — for money
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. date — the fruit
  16. capital — money
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. content — happy
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. board — to get on
  22. content — the amount
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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