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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — a container
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — of the year
  8. scale — in music
  9. season — in sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pop — to visit
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pop — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pop — soda
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — in the ear

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