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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 116 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spring — of water
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bulb — for light
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — help
  17. file — a document
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. can — to be able to

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