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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. club — a group
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ground — a position
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. chest — a box
  19. ground — the earth
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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