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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 120 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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. present — there
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tear — from crying
  11. deal — to handle
  12. present — the time now
  13. wax — to grow
  14. present — a gift
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. march — the month
  18. tear — to rip
  19. file — a document
  20. march — music
  21. file — a tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. deal — a big deal

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