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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bass — low music
  3. bank — for money
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bank — for money
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rest — what's left
  23. race — humankind
  24. wax — to grow

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