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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: cell · lash · tube · tear · current · race · fan · last

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — to go on
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — the arms race
  7. current — happening now
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — a container
  10. current — of water
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cell — in biology
  15. last — final
  16. race — humankind
  17. current — electric
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. last — finally
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fan — a supporter

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