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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. present — the time now
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chest — a box
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. kid — child
  11. present — there
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lie — to recline
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. present — a gift
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chest — of your body

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