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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wax — to grow
  8. clip — a video
  9. tube — a container
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kid — to tease
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. dip — a sauce

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