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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: last · mate · spell · content · foot · bear · tube · wax

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spell — letters
  3. last — final
  4. spell — a short time
  5. last — to go on
  6. tube — the underground
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. content — happy
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bear — the animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. last — finally
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — the amount
  21. spell — magic
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mate — to breed

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