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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 opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — a contest
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bore — to drill
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stock — shares
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. race — the arms race
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. date — the fruit
  21. can — a tin
  22. bore — to tire
  23. race — humankind
  24. tube — a container

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