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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a music group
  4. lean — thin
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ball — a great time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tube — a container
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. perch — the fish

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