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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. drill — a practice
  3. content — the amount
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — the underground
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — army training
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rash — a series
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. press — to push
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. content — happy
  18. wax — to grow
  19. drill — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rash — hasty

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