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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. club — for dancing
  5. content — happy
  6. wax — to grow
  7. root — the cause
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — final
  10. root — of a word
  11. band — a ring
  12. club — a group
  13. content — the amount
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mate — a friend
  16. club — for golf
  17. mate — to breed
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mate — a partner
  20. last — to go on
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. last — finally
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. band — a music group

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