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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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468
Word bank
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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. snap — to click
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tube — the underground
  10. race — the arms race
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. present — there
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tube — a container
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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