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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wax — to grow
  3. race — the arms race
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. race — a contest
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stand — to bear
  22. last — finally
  23. race — humankind
  24. fan — a supporter

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