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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wax — to grow
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. firm — a company
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — for sport
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. field — farmland
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cap — a hat
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. firm — steady
  18. cap — a lid
  19. shower — rain
  20. scale — in music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. firm — decided
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — a subject

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