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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · tube · wax · fine · spring · chip · race · rule

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. race — the arms race
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chip — for betting
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fine — all right
  11. tube — a container
  12. race — humankind
  13. chip — to eat
  14. spring — the season
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. race — a contest
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spring — of water
  24. shower — rain

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