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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 116 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. drill — army training
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tube — a container
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. kid — to tease
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — a tin
  17. kid — child
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. drill — a practice

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