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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — the season
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. spring — of water
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tube — a container
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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