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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. scale — in music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wax — to grow
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. scale — size or range
  12. squash — to crush
  13. face — to point toward
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. squash — the sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. row — a line
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bulb — for light
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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