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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the fish
  15. last — finally
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cap — of ice
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rest — a break
  22. last — to go on
  23. band — a music group
  24. last — final

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