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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rule — a law
  7. bass — low music
  8. cell — in biology
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rule — government
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wake — a trail

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