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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: saw · cell · object · content · mine · wax · cap · pitcher

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cell — a phone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wax — to grow
  14. object — to protest
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cell — in biology
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. content — happy
  24. saw — the tool

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