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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. object — an aim
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kid — child
  5. object — a thing
  6. wax — to grow
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. shower — rain
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kid — to tease
  14. board — a committee
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. shower — to wash
  17. board — to get on
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tube — a container
  24. object — to protest

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