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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. can — to be able to
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fall — to drop
  12. scale — in music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. can — a tin
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tube — a container
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — child
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. kid — to tease
  24. straw — dry grass

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