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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 124 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chair — a leader
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. current — electric
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. current — of water
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bound — certain
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bound — obliged
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — a group
  20. current — happening now
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. snap — to click
  24. lie — an untruth

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