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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.

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: tube · wax · court · bulb · board · spell · rash · tear

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a committee
  3. rash — hasty
  4. court — for sport
  5. rash — a series
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. board — to get on
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. court — of law
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. spell — magic
  23. wax — to grow
  24. court — of a king

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