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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. scale — in music
  3. chip — to eat
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. scale — size or range
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — to wash
  24. date — on the calendar

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