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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. staff — employees
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — help
  16. bulb — for light
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — a stick
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. staff — employees

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