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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 116 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. root — of a word
  6. drill — a practice
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. drill — army training
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bear — the animal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pit — in a race
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stock — goods

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