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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. present — a gift
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. content — happy
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. present — there
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. content — the amount
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. present — the time now
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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