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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. race — humankind
  4. root — of a word
  5. craft — a skill
  6. root — the cause
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. race — a contest
  12. saw — the tool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cold — not warm
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cold — an illness
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. craft — boats
  22. wax — to grow
  23. root — of a plant
  24. leaves — of a tree

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