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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — in sport
  3. current — electric
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. squash — the sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. net — after costs
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — for catching
  22. squash — to crush
  23. file — a tool
  24. march — the month

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