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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. drill — a practice
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — for sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — the tool
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. tube — a container
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — army training
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kid — to tease

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