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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: tube · tear · cell · hide · wax · craft · net · mark

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. net — after costs
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — to grow
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tube — a container
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. craft — boats
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. net — for catching
  23. craft — a skill
  24. net — in sport

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