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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rule — government
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bass — low music
  9. club — a group
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. club — for golf
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tube — a container
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tube — the underground
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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