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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. board — to get on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — money
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. board — a committee
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — low music
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. shower — rain
  22. spell — a short time
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bass — the instrument

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