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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — happy
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cabinet — ministers

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