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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — humankind
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kick — in football
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rule — a law
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rule — government
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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