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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: tear · bear · trunk · lash · band · race · mouse · key

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tear — to rip
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. race — humankind
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — for a lock
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. race — a contest
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bear — the animal

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