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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wax — to grow
  5. tube — the underground
  6. toast — bread
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tube — a container
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. object — an aim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. shower — rain
  21. object — a thing
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. object — to protest
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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