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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. band — a ring
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a music group
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. kid — child
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitcher — a jug

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