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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wax — to grow
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. key — in music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. object — an aim
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. ball — a great time
  13. file — a document
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. key — for a lock
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. ball — a dance
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. file — a line of people
  21. key — the most important part
  22. tube — a container
  23. file — a tool
  24. foot — a measure

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