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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rest — a break
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — in sport
  13. wax — to grow
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chest — a box
  16. pop — soda
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. branch — a division
  19. net — after costs
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. net — for catching

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