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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 120 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — to grow
  3. present — the time now
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tube — the underground
  7. staff — a stick
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. present — there
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bulb — for light
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. present — a gift
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bulb — for light

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