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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: wax · bark · cue · jam · lean · kid · content · spell

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. content — happy
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. content — the amount
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cue — a hint
  11. lean — thin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cue — a signal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. kid — child
  24. bark — to shout

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