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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pop — to visit
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pop — soda
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bulb — for light

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