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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. field — a subject
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pop — soda
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bulb — for light

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