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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bat — the animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. court — of law
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. dip — to sink
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — hurry

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