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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. land — to come down
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. race — humankind
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. race — a contest
  11. bass — the fish
  12. land — ground
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — a country
  15. object — to protest
  16. wax — to grow
  17. object — a thing
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rush — hurry
  20. object — an aim
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. foot — a measure
  24. race — the arms race

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