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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: bowl · wax · toast · file · chest · bulb · prune · bass

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bass — low music
  13. file — a tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. file — a document
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. toast — bread
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bulb — of a plant

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