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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 120 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: key · deal · wax · tube · cold · ball · suit · tear

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. tube — a container
  3. wax — to grow
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. suit — clothes
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tear — to rip
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. deal — to handle
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cold — not warm
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. suit — to fit
  23. key — in music
  24. tube — in a tire

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