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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — to grow
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. shower — to wash
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cap — a hat
  17. shower — rain
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cap — of ice

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