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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lie — to recline
  4. content — the amount
  5. wax — to grow
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — low music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — a thing
  18. cap — of ice
  19. content — happy
  20. cap — a hat
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. object — an aim

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