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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. vault — a safe
  3. object — to protest
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. root — the cause
  14. object — a thing
  15. race — a contest
  16. march — the month
  17. race — the arms race
  18. object — an aim
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. hide — to keep secret

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