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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. can — a tin
  5. spell — magic
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. content — happy
  9. land — a country
  10. wax — to grow
  11. land — to come down
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. spell — a short time
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spell — letters
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. spring — the season
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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