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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mug — to rob
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mug — a face
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — an injury
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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