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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rest — a break
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bass — low music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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