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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. net — for catching
  3. press — to push
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. net — in sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. press — a publisher
  24. kick — a thrill

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