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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 116 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: calf · clip · race · bay · wax · tube · rash · field

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rash — hasty
  6. field — farmland
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. clip — a video
  16. race — a contest
  17. clip — for paper
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. race — humankind

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