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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. last — to go on
  13. charge — electricity
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. last — finally
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. race — a contest
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. charge — a price
  22. last — final
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — in control

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