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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — to be able to
  6. tear — from crying
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. vault — a safe
  15. face — to confront
  16. tube — the underground
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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