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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. firm — steady
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. firm — decided
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. band — a music group
  11. content — the amount
  12. track — a song
  13. firm — a company
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. content — happy
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. track — a path
  21. wake — a trail
  22. track — to keep track
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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