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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. court — for sport
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wax — to grow
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fine — high quality
  9. court — of a king
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. drill — army training
  13. content — happy
  14. court — of law
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. content — the amount
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bark — to shout
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fine — all right

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