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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. press — to push
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. tube — a container
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — soda
  18. date — the fruit
  19. squash — to crush
  20. club — a group
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. club — for golf
  24. pop — music

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