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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stand — to bear
  4. object — an aim
  5. present — a gift
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. file — a line of people
  8. object — a thing
  9. bound — certain
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bound — tied together
  13. present — the time now
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — to protest
  18. bound — obliged
  19. present — there
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. file — a document
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. file — a tool

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