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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hand — help
  6. race — a contest
  7. rest — a break
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — hasty
  14. land — a country
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. race — the arms race
  19. land — to come down
  20. race — humankind
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. land — ground
  23. hand — in cards
  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