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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. file — a document
  6. wax — to grow
  7. object — a thing
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. content — the amount
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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