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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wax — to grow
  3. tear — from crying
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. club — for golf
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. snap — to click
  15. tear — to rip
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. club — for dancing
  21. march — music
  22. fine — all right
  23. march — the month
  24. club — a group

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