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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. roll — a cake
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chip — to eat
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chip — for betting
  9. deal — to handle
  10. roll — a list
  11. rock — music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — a container
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. chest — of your body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chip — in a computer

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