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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. race — a contest
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. race — humankind
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. current — electric
  11. net — for catching
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. current — happening now
  17. net — after costs
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. press — a publisher
  21. current — of water
  22. race — the arms race
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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