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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 120 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: hand · racket · tear · wax · pitch · cabinet · lean · race

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pitch — completely
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. race — a contest
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. race — humankind
  18. wax — to grow
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lean — thin
  24. race — the arms race

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