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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pop — to visit
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pop — soda
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stock — shares
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pop — music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hand — help
  13. stock — goods
  14. hand — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wax — to grow
  18. suit — in cards
  19. chest — a box
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. suit — to fit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. calf — a young animal

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