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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. shower — rain
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bulb — for light
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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