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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. race — a contest
  5. ground — the earth
  6. root — of a word
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. root — the cause
  14. swing — in golf
  15. last — to go on
  16. root — of a plant
  17. swing — to play on
  18. scale — in music
  19. race — the arms race
  20. swing — music
  21. bore — to drill
  22. race — humankind
  23. ground — a position
  24. wax — to grow

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