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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — magic
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spell — letters
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. can — to be able to
  12. shower — rain
  13. dip — to sink
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. can — a tin
  24. saw — the tool

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