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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. tube — the underground
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rush — hurry
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. court — of law
  17. race — a contest
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — for sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. race — the arms race
  23. court — of a king
  24. rush — a thrill

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