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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. tube — a container
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. court — of law
  12. mug — a face
  13. mine — for digging
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — obliged
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stock — goods
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. hand — part of the body

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