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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. object — to protest
  4. can — a tin
  5. degree — from a university
  6. race — a contest
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bear — the animal
  14. object — an aim
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. race — the arms race
  17. object — a thing
  18. degree — temperature
  19. race — humankind
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. craft — boats
  24. tube — in a tire

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