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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. content — the amount
  14. wake — a trail
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cold — an illness
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — happy
  22. wax — to grow
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. staff — a stick

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