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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spell — a short time
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spell — letters
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wax — to grow
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a ring
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a music group
  16. can — a tin
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — the fruit
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spell — magic
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. prune — to trim
  24. band — a rubber band

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