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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — a friend
  14. key — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rash — a series
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wax — to grow

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