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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tube — a container
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wake — before a funeral

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