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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. row — a line
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. face — to confront
  14. tube — a container
  15. drill — a practice
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — army training
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. drill — the tool

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