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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tube — a container
  4. spring — the season
  5. branch — a division
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rock — music
  12. rest — a break
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rest — what's left
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. spring — of water

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