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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: tube · suit · wax · arm · season · land · fork · nail

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. land — to come down
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. season — in sport
  5. suit — in cards
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tube — the underground
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. tube — a container
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — of the year
  22. land — a country
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wax — to grow

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