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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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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — electric
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — of water
  9. chest — a box
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rest — what's left
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. current — happening now
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — in music
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pass — to succeed

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