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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. key — in music
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. file — a document
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tube — the underground
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bore — to drill
  18. key — the most important part
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mug — a face
  22. deal — to handle
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — a cup

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