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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 116 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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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: can · tear · lean · hide · tube · snap · perch · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. perch — the fish
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — thin
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lean — to bend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. can — a tin
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. race — a contest

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