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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. bound — certain
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spring — the season
  24. bound — obliged

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