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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. net — for catching
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lean — thin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wax — to grow
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — the month
  13. net — after costs
  14. march — the month
  15. lean — to bend
  16. net — in sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. march — music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bulb — of a plant

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