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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hand — help
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mark — a grade
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. tube — a container
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — a trace
  17. drill — army training
  18. tube — the underground
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. drill — a practice
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wax — for sculpting

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