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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. swing — music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tube — a container
  9. ground — the earth
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rule — government
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — a position
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. tube — in a tire

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