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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bulb — for light
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. drill — the tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bass — the fish
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. drill — army training
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. board — a committee
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wax — in the ear

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