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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. race — a contest
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mark — a trace
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. mark — a grade
  20. track — a path
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. race — humankind
  24. wind — moving air

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