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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 116 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: dip · fan · chair · bat · wax · cold · bulb · bore

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bat — the animal
  24. dip — a sauce

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