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

Word bank: shower · race · lean · wax · stick · tear

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. shower — rain
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tear — from crying
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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