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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. field — farmland
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. key — in music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rock — music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tube — the underground
  10. field — a subject
  11. press — newspapers
  12. field — for sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. key — for a lock
  16. tube — a container
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. key — the most important part
  21. press — to push
  22. shower — rain
  23. rock — a stone
  24. press — a publisher

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