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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. staff — employees
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cue — a hint
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. staff — employees
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wax — to grow
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spring — of water
  24. wax — for sculpting

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