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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. content — happy
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — the amount
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. racket — for tennis

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