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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: chip · march · cell · wave · race · rock · bear · tube

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. race — a contest
  3. tube — a container
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. race — humankind
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cell — in biology
  17. march — music
  18. chip — to eat
  19. march — the month
  20. cell — a phone
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rock — music
  24. march — the month

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