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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — of the year
  6. date — the fruit
  7. current — of water
  8. track — to keep track
  9. current — happening now
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bore — to tire
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — electric
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. season — in sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — a song
  19. content — happy
  20. bore — to drill
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. content — the amount
  23. wax — to grow
  24. track — a path

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