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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 120 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. band — a ring
  14. file — a document
  15. march — the month
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wax — to grow
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. march — music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. tube — a container
  24. perch — for a bird

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