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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. file — a tool
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pit — a hole
  12. file — a document
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. race — humankind
  18. bulb — for light
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pit — in a race

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