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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. track — a path
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — for digging
  5. track — to keep track
  6. net — after costs
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. track — a song
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — for catching
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. snap — to click
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wax — in the ear

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