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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: court · stick · mate · wake · wax · tube · mug · race

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wake — a trail
  3. court — for sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mate — a friend
  11. race — a contest
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tube — a container
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — of a king
  17. mate — a partner
  18. race — humankind
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. court — of law
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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