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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — to grow
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bound — obliged
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. scale — in music
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. key — in music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. foot — a measure
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — size or range
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. bound — certain
  20. tube — the underground
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. key — for a lock
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. foot — part of the body

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