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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pit — a hole
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — after costs
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. clip — a video
  15. wax — to grow
  16. net — in sport
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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