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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a ring
  11. can — to be able to
  12. band — a music group
  13. fine — all right
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. race — humankind
  22. can — a tin
  23. track — a path
  24. cell — in biology

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