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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. foot — a measure
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chip — to eat
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. file — a tool

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