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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. drill — a practice
  6. clip — a video
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spring — a coil
  12. race — the arms race
  13. clip — to cut
  14. board — to get on
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — army training
  21. board — a committee
  22. spring — the season
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spring — of water

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