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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. staff — employees
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mark — a grade

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