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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. season — in sport
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bulb — for light
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. charge — in control
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — electricity
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. charge — a price
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — of the year
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — of the leg

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