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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. land — a country
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ground — crushed
  8. present — the time now
  9. race — humankind
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ball — a great time
  13. race — a contest
  14. present — there
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ball — a dance
  19. row — a line
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. present — a gift

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