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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pop — to visit
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pop — soda
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pop — music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — a series
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — to come down
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — a country
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mate — a partner

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