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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. key — the most important part
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bulb — for light
  9. key — in music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ground — crushed
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wax — to grow
  18. craft — boats
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. key — for a lock
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — a position
  23. patient — a sick person
  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