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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bass — low music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rash — a series
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. face — to confront
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ground — a position
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bark — to shout

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