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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bulb — for light
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. dip — to sink
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. spring — the season
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. snap — to click
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. net — in sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. net — for catching
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wax — to grow

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