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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. face — to point toward
  3. race — a contest
  4. fall — to drop
  5. race — the arms race
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — to confront
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bound — obliged
  13. club — a group
  14. race — humankind
  15. craft — boats
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for golf
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fall — the season
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. face — part of the head
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. prune — to trim

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