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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kid — child
  5. race — the arms race
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — to grow
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tube — a container
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fall — the season
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. kid — to tease
  22. race — humankind
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. race — a contest

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