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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: spring · bear · content · race · leaves · wax · game · bass

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. race — the arms race
  4. content — happy
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — low music
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — a match
  13. race — humankind
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spring — of water
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bass — the fish
  20. race — a contest
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — a coil
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. content — the amount

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