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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. toast — bread
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bat — the animal
  19. craft — boats
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bear — the animal

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