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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: fine · content · staff · bear · current · calf · pitch · wax

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fine — high quality
  4. staff — employees
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. current — of water
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. staff — employees
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. current — electric
  22. content — the amount
  23. current — happening now
  24. fine — all right

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