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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mate — a partner
  3. deal — to handle
  4. chest — a box
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — the season
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. spring — of water
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mate — a friend
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bulb — for light

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