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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bound — certain
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — of water
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. firm — steady
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. firm — a company
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lean — thin
  21. firm — decided
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spring — the season

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