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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. foot — a measure
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — to handle
  17. field — a subject
  18. race — a contest
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. field — farmland
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. root — the cause
  24. field — for sport

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