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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stock — shares
  6. bore — to drill
  7. net — in sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. bat — the animal
  10. net — after costs
  11. rock — a stone
  12. net — for catching
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fall — the season
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bat — in an idiom

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