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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: race · tube · present · wax · bulb · file · track · fan

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. present — there
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. file — a document
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — the arms race
  12. file — a tool
  13. present — the time now
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — a container
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. present — a gift
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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