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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 124 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. roll — a list
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. game — wild animals
  6. race — humankind
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wax — to grow
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. roll — a cake
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. race — a contest

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