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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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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: dip · tube · net · cap · wax · bat · squash · mate

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — in sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. dip — to sink
  8. squash — the sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — the underground
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cap — a lid
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cap — a hat
  15. net — for catching
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wax — for sculpting

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