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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. race — humankind
  2. bulb — for light
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. press — newspapers
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wake — a trail
  17. face — to confront
  18. press — to push
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bulb — for light
  21. press — a publisher
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. face — to point toward
  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