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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. content — the amount
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bark — to shout
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. content — happy
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. deal — a big deal

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