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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 120 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. track — to keep track
  6. race — humankind
  7. tube — the underground
  8. race — a contest
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wax — to grow
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tube — a container
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — a trail

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