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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bank — for money
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bank — for money
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tube — a container
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — child
  16. shower — to wash
  17. season — of the year
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tube — in a tire

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