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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fall — the season
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — boats
  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