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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. suit — to fit
  4. board — to get on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. suit — in cards
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fine — all right
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fine — high quality
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — the underground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. suit — clothes

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