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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. content — the amount
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — completely
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a song
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. track — a path
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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