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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. present — there
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tube — the underground
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. tube — a container
  14. present — the time now
  15. kick — in football
  16. pound — a weight
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. present — a gift
  24. wax — to grow

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