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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. scale — in music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. roll — a list
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tube — a container
  23. bear — the animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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