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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ground — crushed
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — a position
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. march — music
  19. bank — for money
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — of a river
  24. perch — for a bird

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