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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rash — a series
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bank — for money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. face — to confront
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tube — the underground
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bank — for money
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rash — on the skin

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