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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. branch — a division
  6. race — the arms race
  7. vault — a safe
  8. race — humankind
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. race — a contest
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wax — to grow
  24. squash — to crush

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