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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. kid — to tease
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. tube — a container
  17. chip — to eat
  18. scale — size or range
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mug — a face
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — for betting

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