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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mate — to breed
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spell — letters
  10. wax — to grow
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — a series
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tube — a container
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tube — the underground

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