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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. spring — of water
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wax — to grow
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tube — the underground
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stock — goods
  19. spring — a coil
  20. club — a group
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tear — from crying

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