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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lie — to recline
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bulb — for light

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