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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. race — humankind
  3. spell — letters
  4. race — a contest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spell — a short time
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spell — magic
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — from crying

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