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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a music group
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hand — help
  7. lean — to bend
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bulb — for light
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lean — thin
  23. band — a ring
  24. hand — in cards

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