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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: leaves · wound · game · present · bulb · wax · content · saw

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. content — happy
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wound — an injury
  11. game — wild animals
  12. saw — the tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bulb — for light
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. present — a gift
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. present — the time now
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bulb — for light

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