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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pit — in a race
  6. spell — magic
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spring — the season
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — of water
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pit — a hole
  19. spell — letters
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wound — an injury

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