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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mug — a cup
  4. key — in music
  5. content — the amount
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wax — to grow
  8. craft — boats
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. kid — child
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. content — happy
  23. mug — a face
  24. kid — to tease

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