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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wax — to grow
  3. content — happy
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. race — a contest
  8. pit — a hole
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rush — hurry
  14. can — a tin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — to be able to
  24. fan — to cool the air

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