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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rest — a break
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rest — what's left
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rush — hurry
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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