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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. content — happy
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. lean — thin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — shares
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wax — to grow
  15. content — the amount
  16. stock — goods
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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