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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. net — after costs
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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