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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — the animal
  15. firm — decided
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. firm — a company
  22. bulb — for light
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bulb — for light

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