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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — soda
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pop — music
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bound — certain
  21. bat — the animal
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bat — in an idiom

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