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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. band — a music group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. press — to push
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. band — a ring
  17. press — newspapers
  18. current — of water
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tube — a container
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cap — a hat
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a rubber band

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