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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 124 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. net — for catching
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. net — in sport
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — a division
  17. scale — in music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — after costs
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wax — to grow
  24. staff — employees

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