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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. club — for dancing
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. tube — a container
  10. club — for golf
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wax — to grow
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — the underground
  19. club — a group
  20. net — after costs
  21. chip — for betting
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. shower — rain

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