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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tube — a container
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. court — of law
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fan — a supporter

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