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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. content — happy
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. can — a tin
  6. branch — a division
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chest — a box
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bass — low music
  20. content — the amount
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chest — of your body

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