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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. scale — in music
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pass — a permit
  10. spring — of water
  11. row — a line
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spring — the season
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. tube — the underground

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