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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. dip — to sink
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — the underground
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ground — a position
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ground — the earth
  24. foot — the bottom

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