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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mine — for digging
  7. clip — a video
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — a company
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — a friend
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — decided
  24. tube — a container

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