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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wax — to grow
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. can — to be able to
  11. vault — a safe
  12. swing — music
  13. lean — thin
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lean — to bend
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. swing — in golf
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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