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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. land — a country
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. file — a tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. file — a document
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. tube — the underground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wax — to grow
  23. scale — in music
  24. wax — for sculpting

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