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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lean — thin
  3. tube — a container
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. key — in music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. capital — a city
  11. tube — the underground
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for golf
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. key — for a lock
  24. march — the month

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