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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 120 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mark — a grade
  10. tube — a container
  11. key — in music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wax — to grow
  15. tube — the underground
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — the most important part
  21. charge — in control
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — to turn a key

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