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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spring — of water
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wax — to grow
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitch — completely
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spring — a coil
  20. foot — a measure
  21. hand — help
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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