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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. land — ground
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — to bend
  7. land — a country
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. staff — employees
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. content — the amount
  14. season — of the year
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. degree — an amount
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — thin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — in sport
  23. content — happy
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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