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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. staff — employees
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bore — to drill
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bore — to tire
  16. land — a country
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. land — ground
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. degree — an amount
  22. staff — employees
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. staff — a stick

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