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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bound — certain
  3. game — wild animals
  4. present — the time now
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. field — a subject
  7. present — a gift
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — obliged
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. object — a thing
  17. bound — tied together
  18. object — to protest
  19. present — there
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bulb — for light
  24. object — an aim

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