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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. court — of law
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — for sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tube — a container
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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