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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — a position
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. band — a ring
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — after costs
  8. wax — to grow
  9. tube — the underground
  10. ground — the earth
  11. can — a tin
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. band — a music group
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tube — a container
  20. net — in sport
  21. ground — crushed
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. safe — out of danger

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