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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. clip — a video
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cue — for pool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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