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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · cap · wax · leaves · content · bulb · march · chip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. content — happy
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bulb — for light
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. content — the amount
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. march — the month
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bulb — of a plant

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