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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tube — a container
  3. object — to protest
  4. rock — music
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. club — for dancing
  8. object — a thing
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. club — a group
  11. chair — a leader
  12. dip — to sink
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. club — for golf
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. object — an aim
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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