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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for golf
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. drill — a practice
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. can — a tin
  11. lean — thin
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. drill — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. drill — army training
  19. lean — to bend
  20. club — a group
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. club — for dancing
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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