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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. field — a subject
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. field — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. race — a contest
  16. field — farmland
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — humankind
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — child
  24. bass — low music

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