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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — of the year
  5. pop — music
  6. tube — a container
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ball — a dance
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pop — soda
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ball — a great time

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