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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spring — of water
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. content — happy
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chip — for betting
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stem — to come from
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. face — part of the head
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spring — the season
  18. face — to confront
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. content — the amount
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stem — of a plant

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