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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bulb — for light
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spring — a coil
  6. band — a music group
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spring — of water
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. root — of a word
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. root — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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