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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wax — to grow
  5. saw — the tool
  6. board — a committee
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tube — the underground
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cell — a phone
  14. club — for dancing
  15. board — to get on
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. club — a group
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. club — for golf

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