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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cold — an illness
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cue — a signal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kid — child
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cue — for pool
  24. kid — to tease

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