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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rest — a break
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lie — to recline
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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