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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. can — a tin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hand — help
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. staff — employees
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hand — in cards
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. content — happy
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mine — for digging
  18. can — a tin
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. staff — employees
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. content — the amount

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