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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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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. band — a music group
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spring — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. race — a contest
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. race — the arms race
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. band — a ring
  23. race — humankind
  24. band — a rubber band

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