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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. race — a contest
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. fine — all right
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. race — humankind
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. current — of water
  22. race — the arms race
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — a quarrel

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