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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: pop · chest · wax · tube · mark · file · race · firm

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pop — soda
  6. race — humankind
  7. chest — of your body
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. file — a tool
  12. firm — decided
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. firm — steady
  17. tube — a container
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — the underground
  20. race — a contest
  21. firm — a company
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a document
  24. chest — a box

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