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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. land — to come down
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. last — to go on
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. last — final
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mug — a face
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fine — all right
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mug — a cup
  17. land — a country
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mug — to rob
  20. snap — to click
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. last — finally
  23. land — ground
  24. bulb — of a plant

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