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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mug — to rob
  8. tube — a container
  9. mate — a friend
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. field — for sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mate — to breed
  16. field — farmland
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wax — for sculpting

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