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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. perch — the fish
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — the amount
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bound — certain
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. content — happy

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