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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · fan · cold · straw · tube · wax · mouse · nail

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — to grow
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. root — the cause
  24. cold — an illness

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