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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: coach · content · pop · perch · mate · prune · wax · file

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. file — a document
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wax — to grow
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pop — to visit
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pop — soda
  21. content — the amount
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mate — a partner
  24. perch — the fish

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