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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chest — a box
  3. roll — a cake
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bass — low music
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spring — the season
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. content — happy
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — of water
  19. bass — the fish
  20. roll — a list
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fine — all right

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