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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — ground
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. press — to push
  10. capital — money
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bulb — for light
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. land — a country
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. capital — a city
  24. press — newspapers

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