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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. fork — in a road
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. clip — to cut
  16. content — the amount
  17. clip — a video
  18. content — happy
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wound — an injury

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