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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. tube — the underground
  7. file — a line of people
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wound — an injury
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wax — to grow
  14. file — a document
  15. tube — a container
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. file — a tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. season — in sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. season — of the year
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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