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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wind — moving air
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — to handle
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bulb — for light
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. game — a match
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. scale — in music
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mate — a partner
  24. game — a kind of play

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