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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bank — of a river
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spell — magic
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. content — the amount
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rock — music
  13. spell — letters
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bank — for money
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bank — for money
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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