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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wax — to grow
  8. row — to paddle
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. field — for sport
  15. row — a line
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — farmland

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