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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 124 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. court — for sport
  8. track — a path
  9. tube — a container
  10. court — of a king
  11. wax — to grow
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tube — the underground
  14. track — a song
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pound — a weight
  19. court — of law
  20. plane — a tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. face — to point toward

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