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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mark — a trace
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bass — low music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lean — thin
  16. tube — a container
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kid — child
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. mark — a grade
  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