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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: tear · chair · can · mouse · nail · race · land · stick

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. race — a contest
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — a leader
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. land — to come down
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — from crying

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