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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — a series
  10. stem — to come from
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cold — an illness
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cold — not warm

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