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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. content — happy
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bank — for money
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. content — the amount
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wax — to grow
  24. sharp — clever

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