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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wax — to grow
  3. file — a document
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. content — the amount
  6. bass — low music
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. spell — letters
  9. content — happy
  10. current — of water
  11. race — a contest
  12. bass — the fish
  13. firm — a company
  14. spell — a short time
  15. race — the arms race
  16. firm — steady
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. firm — decided
  24. spell — magic

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