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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wax — to grow
  6. kick — in football
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. net — for catching
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. roll — a list
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tube — a container
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wind — moving air

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