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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · spell · foot · deal · wax · mate · clip · content

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — to grow
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. clip — a video
  8. spell — a short time
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. content — happy
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — a measure
  23. content — the amount
  24. clip — to cut

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