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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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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: bank · hide · tube · race · wax · craft · march · bat

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. march — music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. race — humankind
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. march — the month
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — a container
  13. craft — boats
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — the arms race
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bank — of a river
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — for money
  23. race — a contest
  24. bat — for baseball

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