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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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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: last · fan · bulb · mug · clip · wax · can · ground

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. last — finally
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bulb — for light
  7. last — final
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. clip — for paper
  10. last — to go on
  11. can — a tin
  12. mug — a cup
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mug — a face
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. ground — a position
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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