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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · cabinet · mate · lean · tube · wax

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mate — a friend
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lean — thin
  13. tube — a container
  14. race — a contest
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. race — humankind
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tube — the underground

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