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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. row — to paddle
  5. club — for dancing
  6. ground — the earth
  7. race — humankind
  8. club — a group
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. club — for golf
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wax — in the ear

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