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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 116 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: can · wax · tube · land · net · mug · ground · cell

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — in sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mug — a face
  8. tube — the underground
  9. net — for catching
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. cell — a phone
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — a country
  17. net — after costs
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mug — a cup
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cell — in biology

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