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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: spell · content · fall · cabinet · wax · land · leaves · bear

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spell — letters
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — a country
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — to come down
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. content — the amount
  16. bear — the animal
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spell — magic
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. content — happy

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