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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mug — a face
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. tube — the underground
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tube — a container
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. race — humankind
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. branch — a division
  20. band — a music group
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. race — a contest

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