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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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468
Word bank
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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. season — in sport
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pit — a hole
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a tool
  13. season — of the year
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. file — a line of people
  21. race — humankind
  22. file — a document
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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