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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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468
Word bank
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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. file — a line of people
  4. race — the arms race
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. swing — to play on
  14. file — a document
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pass — a permit
  19. file — a tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rash — a series
  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