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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — in sport
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. clip — to cut
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. object — a thing
  17. clip — a video
  18. net — for catching
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — after costs
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. safe — out of danger

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