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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. land — a country
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — to come down
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bark — to shout
  21. land — ground
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. ball — a round shape

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