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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: firm · mine · root · file · fall · bulb · wax · press

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. press — to push
  5. firm — steady
  6. root — of a word
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. firm — a company
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — for digging
  13. root — the cause
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. press — a publisher
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. file — a document
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fall — the season
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. firm — decided
  23. file — a tool
  24. root — 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