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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — for sport
  4. swing — in golf
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — humankind
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — the arms race
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — music
  14. race — a contest
  15. snap — to click
  16. plane — a tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wax — to grow
  20. field — farmland
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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