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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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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: race · bat · can · bay · tear · rest · bear · wake

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. rest — a break
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. race — humankind
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rest — what's left
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wake — a trail
  19. race — a contest
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. can — a tin
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. race — the arms race

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