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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. drill — a practice
  6. race — humankind
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. club — for golf
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — a series
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. club — a group
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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