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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tube — the underground
  13. board — a committee
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. board — to get on
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pit — in a race
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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