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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — a committee
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. board — to get on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fall — the season
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a flat piece

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