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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rash — a series
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lean — thin
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wax — to grow

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