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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. spell — magic
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. race — a contest
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. race — humankind
  11. bulb — for light
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. spell — letters
  16. wax — to grow
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bulb — for light
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — a match

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