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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 120 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — of water
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. court — of a king
  6. object — to protest
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — a grade
  21. court — of law
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. court — for sport

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