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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 · chest · track · mine · hide · can · tube · wave

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. chest — a box
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. tube — the underground
  6. race — humankind
  7. track — to keep track
  8. tube — a container
  9. track — a song
  10. race — a contest
  11. can — a tin
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. track — a path
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chest — of your body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. hide — to keep secret

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