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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bark — to shout
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. content — happy
  24. fork — in a road

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