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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: wax · hand · race · pitcher · march · tube · nail · key

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — a contest
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — a container
  8. march — the month
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. key — in music
  14. wax — to grow
  15. race — humankind
  16. tube — the underground
  17. key — for a lock
  18. hand — help
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. hand — in cards

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