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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. object — a thing
  3. wax — to grow
  4. last — to go on
  5. object — to protest
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. last — final
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. last — finally
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — the underground
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fork — in a road
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — an aim

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