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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. charge — in control
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. charge — a price
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pass — a permit
  13. dip — to sink
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cold — an illness
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. degree — an amount

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