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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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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — the arms race
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — of ice
  9. root — the cause
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. race — a contest
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cap — a hat
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. root — of a word

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