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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wax — to grow
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bark — to shout

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