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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: race · craft · bear · staff · wave · tube · key · chest

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. race — a contest
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. key — in music
  6. craft — boats
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. staff — employees
  12. key — for a lock
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. key — the most important part
  19. race — the arms race
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. race — humankind
  24. wave — with your hand

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