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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bound — certain
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. wax — to grow
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cue — a signal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cue — for pool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bound — obliged
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bound — tied together
  21. firm — decided
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. race — humankind

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