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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lean — thin
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. race — the arms race
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — to crush
  12. board — to get on
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. board — a committee
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. squash — the sport
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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