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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. race — humankind
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. staff — employees
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. staff — employees
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — a safe
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. can — a tin
  22. band — a ring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fork — in a road

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