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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. content — happy
  4. object — to protest
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — army training
  7. bulb — for light
  8. object — a thing
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitch — completely
  19. object — an aim
  20. content — the amount
  21. cell — in biology
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cell — a phone

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