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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. last — finally
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a lid
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. last — to go on
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mug — a face
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — final
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mug — to rob

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