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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. charge — in control
  4. present — the time now
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. tube — the underground
  10. root — of a word
  11. present — there
  12. charge — electricity
  13. present — a gift
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — the cause
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chest — a box
  20. charge — a price
  21. chest — of your body
  22. hand — help
  23. root — of a plant
  24. tube — a container

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