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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. bulb — for light
  10. firm — a company
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. snap — to click
  14. net — in sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. firm — decided
  21. root — the cause
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — steady
  24. file — a line of people

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