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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wax — to grow
  4. race — a contest
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — in sport
  12. bass — the fish
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. season — of the year
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. race — humankind
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bass — the instrument

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