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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. track — a path
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — to keep track
  5. ball — a dance
  6. race — the arms race
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. track — a song
  10. spell — magic
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — a contest
  15. roll — a list
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. roll — a cake
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. race — humankind
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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