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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. shower — rain
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — the season
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tube — a container
  21. fall — to drop
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — to shout

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