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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chest — a box
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fine — all right
  12. foot — a measure
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. chest — of your body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wax — to grow
  24. foot — the bottom

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