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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — for light
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. scale — size or range
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spring — of water
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bank — for money
  21. spring — the season
  22. scale — in music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. scale — for weighing

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