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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 120 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: rest · lash · wax · fall · tube · race · rash · land

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rash — a series
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fall — to drop
  8. land — ground
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rash — hasty
  12. race — a contest
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — to come down
  15. race — humankind
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. land — a country

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