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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bulb — for light
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chest — of your body
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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