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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. content — happy
  4. hand — in cards
  5. roll — a cake
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wax — to grow
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. roll — a list
  14. snap — to click
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. content — the amount
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hand — help

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