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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. object — a thing
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wax — to grow
  18. row — to paddle
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tube — a container
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. row — a line

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