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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mate — a partner
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tube — a container
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mate — to breed
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mate — a friend
  22. row — a line
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chest — a box

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