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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. land — to come down
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wax — to grow
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — a country
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mine — for digging

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