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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mug — to rob
  4. track — a song
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. land — to come down
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — the animal
  10. land — a country
  11. tube — a container
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. track — a path
  17. ball — a great time
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wax — to grow
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mug — a face
  24. wax — in the ear

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