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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — the amount
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. craft — a skill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. craft — boats
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chest — a box
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — happy
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. deal — an agreement

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