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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 120 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: mate · hide · tube · ground · wake · race · foot · cap

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wake — a trail
  7. race — a contest
  8. cap — a lid
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a hat
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. race — humankind
  16. foot — a measure
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cap — of ice
  24. ground — a position

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