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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spell — letters
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spell — magic
  8. content — the amount
  9. fine — all right
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bank — for money
  12. suit — to fit
  13. content — happy
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. suit — in cards
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bank — for money
  24. suit — clothes

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