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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tube — a container
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. board — a committee
  8. present — the time now
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. present — a gift
  11. date — the fruit
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wax — to grow
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. scale — in music
  18. board — to get on
  19. present — there
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mark — a grade

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