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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rash — hasty
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bound — certain
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. race — humankind
  19. shower — rain
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rash — a series
  22. pit — in a race
  23. race — a contest
  24. wind — moving air

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