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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the fish
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lean — to bend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. net — in sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lean — thin
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bass — low music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chest — a box
  21. net — after costs
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wax — for sculpting

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