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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chest — a box
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — help
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. fine — all right
  22. pop — music
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pop — soda

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