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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — soda
  7. land — to come down
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — a box
  11. land — ground
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pop — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. land — a country

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