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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — the fish
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. land — to come down
  7. board — to get on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. land — a country
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. land — ground
  15. wax — to grow
  16. key — the most important part
  17. board — a committee
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. content — happy
  21. bass — low music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. bulb — for light

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