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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. file — a document
  4. stock — goods
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — the amount
  7. mug — a face
  8. track — a path
  9. plane — a tool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. track — a song
  15. mug — to rob
  16. file — a tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mug — a cup
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cabinet — ministers

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