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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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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: toast · bound · foot · wax · charge · race · tube · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. tube — the underground
  7. race — a contest
  8. tear — to rip
  9. toast — bread
  10. bound — certain
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. race — the arms race
  13. tube — a container
  14. race — humankind
  15. bound — obliged
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tear — from crying
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wax — to grow
  24. charge — in control

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