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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. object — an aim
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bulb — for light
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kid — child
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. toast — bread
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — a list

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