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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. content — happy
  5. tube — a container
  6. content — the amount
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mug — a cup
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. hand — help
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. wax — to grow
  21. lean — thin
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. hand — in cards

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