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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — for sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rock — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. kid — child
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bore — to drill
  15. court — of law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rock — a stone
  24. court — of a king

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