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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's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. dip — to sink
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pop — music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — soda
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tube — a container
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pop — to visit

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