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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. kid — to tease
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bulb — for light
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — child

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