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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — to visit
  6. tube — a container
  7. last — finally
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pop — music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pop — soda
  17. last — final
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bass — low music
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — to go on
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bass — 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