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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. band — a ring
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spell — magic
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. tube — the underground
  13. band — a music group
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tube — a container

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