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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. suit — clothes
  4. spring — a coil
  5. suit — to fit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bore — to drill
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. tube — a container
  18. roll — a list
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. spring — of water
  22. tube — the underground
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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