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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. spring — a coil
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bark — to shout
  5. content — the amount
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — happy
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — a permit
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mate — a partner

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