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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: game · wax · lie · bulb · squash · bark · clip · toast

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — to crush
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. game — a match
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bark — to shout
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wax — to grow
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — for paper
  21. squash — the sport
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. toast — bread

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