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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bulb — for light
  3. net — in sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. season — in sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — a song
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. track — a path
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — help
  17. net — after costs
  18. hand — in cards
  19. net — for catching
  20. rash — a series
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rash — on the skin

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