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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: wax · face · cue · bat · tube · fall · cabinet · race

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. face — part of the head
  3. race — humankind
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — the arms race
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. fall — the season
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. race — a contest
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. face — to confront
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cabinet — ministers

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