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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. key — in music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bass — low music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bowl — a football final

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