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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tube — the underground
  4. object — to protest
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tube — a container
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — a song
  12. net — for catching
  13. object — an aim
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. track — a path
  17. net — in sport
  18. lean — to bend
  19. object — a thing
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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