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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. dip — to sink
  3. content — the amount
  4. net — for catching
  5. bear — the animal
  6. object — a thing
  7. net — in sport
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fall — the season
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. net — after costs
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bear — the animal

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