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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. club — a group
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wax — to grow
  6. clip — a video
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. tube — a container
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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