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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. land — ground
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. hand — help
  7. wax — to grow
  8. land — a country
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. track — a song
  11. race — a contest
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rush — hurry
  14. hand — in cards
  15. track — a path
  16. cap — a hat
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cap — a lid
  19. land — to come down
  20. track — to keep track
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. race — humankind
  24. cap — of ice

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