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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — employees
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. wind — moving air
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. staff — a stick
  15. tube — a container
  16. plane — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bank — of a river
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bank — for money
  23. staff — employees
  24. tear — from crying

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