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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. can — a tin
  6. pop — soda
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. root — the cause
  12. last — final
  13. pop — to visit
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. last — finally
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pop — music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. root — of a word
  24. fan — a supporter

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