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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. object — to protest
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rule — government
  11. season — of the year
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. object — a thing
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. race — a contest
  18. pop — music
  19. object — an aim
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rule — a law
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rule — to rule out

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