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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tube — a container
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chest — a box
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bore — to tire
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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