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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mug — a face
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spring — of water
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. content — the amount
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — to grow
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — happy
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spring — the season
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. board — a committee

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