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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. snap — to click
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mark — a grade
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. tear — from crying
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wax — to grow
  16. tear — to rip
  17. field — a subject
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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