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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. field — for sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. field — a subject
  6. snap — to click
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — farmland
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hide — to keep secret

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