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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — rain
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. land — to come down
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — ground
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — a country
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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