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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. field — a subject
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wind — moving air
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. field — farmland
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — for sport

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