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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: wax · staff · kick · bulb · bat · field · toast · rule

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kick — in football
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rule — a law
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. field — a subject
  10. staff — employees
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rule — government
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. toast — bread
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. field — farmland
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. field — for sport

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