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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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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. drill — a practice
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rule — government
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. tube — a container
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rule — a law
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wax — to grow
  19. suit — to fit
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. suit — clothes
  24. drill — army training

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