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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rest — a break
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rest — what's left
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — a partner
  13. squash — to crush
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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