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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — of a king
  4. bank — of a river
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — happy
  7. mug — to rob
  8. court — for sport
  9. row — a line
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bank — for money
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. game — wild animals
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mug — a face
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. game — a match
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — of law
  21. content — the amount
  22. bank — for money
  23. mug — a cup
  24. row — a quarrel

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