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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: bore · can · tube · net · wax · wind · march · mug

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bore — to tire
  3. can — a tin
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — music
  7. wax — to grow
  8. net — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mug — a face
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. net — after costs
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — a container
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mug — a cup
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — the month
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mug — to rob

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