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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wax — to grow
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lean — thin
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. content — the amount
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bat — for baseball

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