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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.

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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wax — to grow
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — the earth
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ground — a position
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. current — electric
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. current — happening now
  15. ground — crushed
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wax — in the ear

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