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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. tube — a container
  8. fork — in a road
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. land — ground
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — help
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — to grow
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. land — a country
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. press — to push

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