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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: pitch · net · content · mug · spring · craft · cabinet · wax

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. craft — boats
  7. content — the amount
  8. net — for catching
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mug — to rob
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — of water
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitch — completely

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