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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. row — to paddle
  5. perch — the fish
  6. tube — a container
  7. row — a line
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. dip — to sink
  12. file — a tool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wax — to grow
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. file — a document
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tube — the underground

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