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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. race — a contest
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — the season
  10. game — a match
  11. spring — a coil
  12. race — humankind
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spring — of water
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. race — the arms race
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pass — a permit

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