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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. wax — to grow
  11. key — the most important part
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. key — in music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — tied together
  23. net — for catching
  24. saw — the tool

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