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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wax — to grow
  6. charge — in control
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tube — the underground
  10. charge — electricity
  11. hand — help
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — a line
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. charge — a price
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tube — a container
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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