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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bulb — for light
  4. club — for golf
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ground — a position
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — crushed
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. club — a group
  16. present — a gift
  17. ground — the earth
  18. present — the time now
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. tube — a container
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. present — there

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