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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wake — a trail
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bore — to tire
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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