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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. spell — a short time
  5. tube — the underground
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. tube — a container
  9. current — happening now
  10. spell — magic
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. swing — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. net — for catching
  15. current — electric
  16. spell — letters
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bound — tied together
  20. current — of water
  21. bound — obliged
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — wild animals

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