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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. content — happy
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bear — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bank — for money
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bank — for money
  15. content — the amount
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — a safe
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wake — a trail

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