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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — the sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ground — the earth
  12. squash — to crush
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. ground — a position
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — crushed
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitcher — a jug

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