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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bound — certain
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. tube — a container
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. spring — of water
  18. kid — child
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tube — the underground
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — the season
  24. wax — for sculpting

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