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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for golf
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. root — of a plant
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. club — a group
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. root — of a word
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. deal — to handle
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. spring — a coil
  22. root — the cause
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — soda

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