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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: content · cabinet · spring · foot · drill · lean · wax · clip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spring — of water
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spring — a coil
  11. clip — for paper
  12. content — happy
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — to grow
  17. drill — army training
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. foot — a measure
  20. clip — a video
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lean — thin
  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