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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cue — for pool
  8. march — the month
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — to wash
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. cue — a hint
  16. march — music
  17. shower — rain
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cue — a signal

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