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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: cap · ball · hide · toast · perch · wax · tube · race

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. ball — a dance
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. race — a contest
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. toast — bread
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — a lid
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ball — a great time
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ball — a round shape

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