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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: wave · field · tube · roll · leaves · fan · firm · wax

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — a cake
  3. firm — decided
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. field — farmland
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. field — a subject
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. field — for sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. firm — a company
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. roll — a list
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. firm — steady
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tube — a container
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. leaves — to go away

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