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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tube — a container
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. key — in music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wax — to grow
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. track — to keep track
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tube — the underground

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