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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. race — a contest
  4. rash — a series
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bass — low music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bass — the fish
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. race — the arms race
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. vault — a safe
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. race — humankind
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — there
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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