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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spell — magic
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. current — happening now
  17. face — to confront
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spell — letters
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. face — part of the head
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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