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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. root — the cause
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — in sport
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. season — of the year
  15. root — of a word
  16. content — the amount
  17. fall — to drop
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. content — happy
  21. object — an aim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fall — the season
  24. season — to add flavour

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