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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: mug · game · mark · wax · ruler · chest · tear · race

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. race — humankind
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. tear — from crying
  5. race — a contest
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. game — a match
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mug — to rob
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mug — a face
  20. chest — a box
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. race — the arms race
  24. game — wild animals

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