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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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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: deal · last · nail · spring · bulb · toast · wax · bat

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bulb — for light
  8. last — finally
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bat — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wax — to grow
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. toast — bread
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. deal — a big deal

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