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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. race — humankind
  3. clip — a video
  4. stand — to bear
  5. tube — a container
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. track — a path
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. race — a contest
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. track — to keep track
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. track — a song
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stand — for spectators

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