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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. field — for sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fall — to drop
  6. squash — to crush
  7. current — of water
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hand — help
  10. fall — the season
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. current — electric
  13. squash — the sport
  14. current — happening now
  15. can — to be able to
  16. field — a subject
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hand — in cards
  24. field — farmland

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