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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. season — of the year
  4. bulb — for light
  5. roll — a list
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — to wash
  16. snap — to click
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lie — to recline
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wax — to grow

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