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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 116 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. content — happy
  3. firm — decided
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. firm — a company
  8. wax — to grow
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. content — the amount
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. prune — to trim

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