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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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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. race — the arms race
  4. craft — boats
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cap — of ice
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. root — of a word
  13. bass — low music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. net — for catching
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bass — the fish
  18. craft — a skill
  19. net — after costs
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cap — a hat
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. net — in sport

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