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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — to grow
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. key — the most important part
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — the underground
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. key — in music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — a line

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