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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. deal — to handle
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fine — all right
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hand — in cards
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. lean — thin
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. kick — in football

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