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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rest — a break
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. rest — what's left
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to click
  11. hand — help
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. saw — the tool

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