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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. can — a tin
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. current — of water
  5. content — the amount
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. current — happening now
  8. snap — to click
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. current — electric
  16. can — to be able to
  17. track — a song
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. track — to keep track
  20. content — happy
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bore — to tire

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