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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — to grow
  3. content — happy
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. content — the amount
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. march — music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. land — a country
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — for pool
  24. staff — employees

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