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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. board — a committee
  6. last — final
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. last — to go on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. board — to get on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — finally
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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