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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. club — for golf
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. roll — a cake
  11. race — humankind
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. roll — a list
  15. rash — a series
  16. board — a committee
  17. rash — hasty
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — a contest
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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