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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rock — a stone
  4. content — happy
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. craft — a skill
  7. charge — in control
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tube — the underground
  11. craft — boats
  12. spell — magic
  13. content — the amount
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — rain
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. charge — a price
  18. spell — letters
  19. tube — a container
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rock — music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — a handicraft

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