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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: clip · tear · cabinet · race · bulb · ruler · wax · stock

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. race — a contest
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — a video
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tear — from crying
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stock — shares
  16. tear — from crying
  17. race — humankind
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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