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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stem — to come from
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wax — to grow
  13. charge — a price
  14. craft — boats
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. foot — a measure
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. charge — electricity
  23. content — the amount
  24. charge — in control

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