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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. race — humankind
  3. face — to point toward
  4. race — a contest
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. staff — employees
  9. board — a committee
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — a phone
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — to get on
  17. face — to confront
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — part of the head
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. staff — a stick

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