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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. race — the arms race
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. clip — a video
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. clip — for paper
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. land — ground
  16. race — humankind
  17. kick — in football
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — a country
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. race — a contest
  23. dip — to sink
  24. land — to come down

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