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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. race — humankind
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. race — the arms race
  9. file — a document
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. drill — the tool
  13. race — a contest
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. tube — a container
  17. wax — to grow
  18. craft — a skill
  19. drill — army training
  20. tube — the underground
  21. craft — boats
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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