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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. tube — a container
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lean — to bend
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wax — to grow
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — thin
  20. cell — in biology
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rest — a break
  23. cell — a phone
  24. racket — for tennis

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