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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: wax · game · face · tube · deal · spring · track · stand

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. game — a match
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spring — of water
  12. track — a song
  13. wax — to grow
  14. game — wild animals
  15. face — to confront
  16. track — a path
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. game — a kind of play

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