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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fall — the season
  4. bulb — for light
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bound — certain
  12. march — music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — tied together
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — to drop
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. march — the month

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