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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bear — the animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. shower — rain
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tear — from crying
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bear — the animal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chip — for betting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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