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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of law
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rock — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. court — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bear — to put up with

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