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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wax — to grow
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ball — a dance
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. clip — to cut
  11. deal — to handle
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. clip — a video
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. leaves — of a tree

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