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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — rain
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wax — to grow
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spring — the season
  15. can — to be able to
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. hand — help
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spring — of water

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