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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. branch — a division
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rash — a series
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. deal — a big deal

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