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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. race — a contest
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. drill — army training
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tube — a container
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. drill — the tool
  16. race — the arms race
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pop — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — soda

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