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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. club — a group
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — for golf
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. suit — to fit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wax — to grow
  17. content — the amount
  18. club — for dancing
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bound — certain

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