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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · toast · trunk · land · bulb · cold · pitcher · ruler

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cold — an illness
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — ground
  19. toast — bread
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. land — to come down

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