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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 120 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: land · bulb · cell · drill · wax · mouse · chair · deal

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. drill — army training
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. land — ground
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. land — a country
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. land — to come down
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mouse — the animal

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