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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cap — of ice
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — a video
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mate — to breed
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mate — a partner
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cap — a hat
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bark — of a tree

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