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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mug — a cup
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spell — magic
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. club — for golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. file — a document
  14. club — a group
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mug — a face
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. file — a tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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