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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. spring — the season
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — help
  7. spring — of water
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. staff — employees
  10. season — in sport
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lean — thin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. staff — employees
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — of the year
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. hand — in cards

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