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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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. staff — employees
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. content — the amount
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. tube — the underground
  11. content — happy
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rash — a series
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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