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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. shower — to wash
  6. court — for sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. court — of a king
  19. bulb — for light
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. court — of law
  22. bore — to tire
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bulb — of a plant

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