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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tube — a container
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pound — a weight
  10. present — there
  11. net — after costs
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — the season
  18. present — a gift
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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