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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chip — for betting
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chip — to eat
  14. shower — rain
  15. row — to paddle
  16. game — a match
  17. spring — the season
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wax — to grow
  24. spring — of water

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