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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bass — low music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bound — tied together
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bound — certain
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — electric
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. current — of water
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bulb — for light
  24. current — happening now

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