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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. fall — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fall — to drop
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bass — low music
  15. fine — all right
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tube — a container
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tube — the underground
  21. spring — the season
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fall — to drop
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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