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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kid — child
  8. tube — a container
  9. game — a match
  10. land — a country
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spell — magic
  17. land — ground
  18. staff — employees
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tube — the underground
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — letters
  24. rush — hurry

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