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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — in football
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. band — a ring
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rock — music
  20. kid — child
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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