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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — the fruit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. roll — a list
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tube — the underground
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — a container
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chest — a box
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fall — the season

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