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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. squash — to crush
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. staff — employees
  10. wax — to grow
  11. net — in sport
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. clip — a video
  19. tube — a container
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. tube — the underground

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