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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tube — a container
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. deal — to handle
  9. race — humankind
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. net — in sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. net — for catching
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. wake — a trail
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitcher — a jug

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