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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. press — a publisher
  4. march — music
  5. press — to push
  6. march — the month
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fine — high quality
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — all right
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. kick — in football
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bay — a horse colour

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