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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.

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: clip · wax · shower · bowl · march · trunk · can · content

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — to grow
  4. march — music
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — for paper
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — the amount
  12. can — to be able to
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. march — the month

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