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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: ground · perch · dip · wax · cue · content · mug · kid

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — to grow
  4. content — happy
  5. cue — for pool
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cue — a signal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. content — the amount
  16. ground — a position
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. kid — to tease
  24. dip — a sauce

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