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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a music group
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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