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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — humankind
  3. pop — to visit
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. race — a contest
  13. tube — a container
  14. wax — to grow
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chest — a box
  18. race — the arms race
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chest — of your body
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. tube — the underground
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — in the ear

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