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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wax — to grow
  3. tube — the underground
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bulb — for light
  24. shower — rain

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