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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wax — to grow
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. plane — a tool
  10. capital — money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. object — an aim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. track — a song
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. capital — a city
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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