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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spring — of water
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — the season
  7. chip — for betting
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wax — to grow
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tube — a container
  22. pop — music
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spring — a coil

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