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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — a series
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. content — happy
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. saw — the tool
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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