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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 · race · racket · lie · hide · content · mate · roll

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wax — to grow
  3. content — the amount
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — the arms race
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. race — a contest
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. content — happy
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. race — humankind
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lie — to recline
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. roll — a list
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lie — an untruth

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