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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chair · staff · wax · squash · kid · mouse · roll

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. kid — child
  8. roll — a list
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. roll — a cake
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. kid — to tease
  24. staff — employees

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