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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. hand — help
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bound — certain
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — tied together
  17. tube — a container
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wax — in the ear

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