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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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468
Word bank
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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. can — a tin
  3. field — for sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — a container
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitch — completely
  10. can — to be able to
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rash — a series
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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