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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bank — for money
  6. tube — a container
  7. march — music
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — a tin
  10. vault — a safe
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — the month
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wax — to grow
  17. can — to be able to
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. march — the month
  22. land — ground
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. tube — in a tire

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