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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. court — of a king
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. court — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tear — from crying

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