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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. track — a path
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bear — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. chair — a leader
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wax — to grow
  14. squash — the sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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