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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. court — of a king
  6. cell — a phone
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — to grow
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bulb — for light
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cell — in biology
  18. court — for sport
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mate — to breed
  21. root — of a plant
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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