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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. band — a ring
  9. bark — to shout
  10. object — a thing
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fall — the season
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. current — happening now
  16. object — to protest
  17. bore — to tire
  18. current — electric
  19. band — a music group
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fall — to drop
  22. object — an aim
  23. tube — a container
  24. current — of water

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