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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — a container
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. suit — to fit
  8. field — farmland
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. suit — clothes
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. suit — in cards
  19. field — a subject
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — music
  24. hand — help

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