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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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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: can · chair · bulb · shower · ground · track · mouse · wax

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — a position
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. track — a path
  6. can — a tin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. track — a song
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wax — to grow
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — to keep track

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