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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. scale — in music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitch — completely
  6. present — there
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. present — the time now
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. drill — army training
  16. bulb — for light
  17. present — a gift
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — to put up with

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