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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. key — in music
  4. tube — a container
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fine — all right
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rush — hurry
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rash — a series
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fine — a penalty

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