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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. content — the amount
  3. wax — to grow
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bound — tied together
  10. lean — thin
  11. club — a group
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. kid — child
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rush — hurry
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bound — certain
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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