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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — humankind
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pass — a permit
  7. band — a ring
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bank — for money
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — for digging
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bank — of a river
  17. race — a contest
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bank — for money
  21. band — a music group
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pass — to succeed

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