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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rule — government
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. season — in sport
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rash — a series
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a document
  23. season — of the year
  24. rule — a law

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