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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. race — the arms race
  4. object — an aim
  5. race — a contest
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — a thing
  10. season — of the year
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. plane — a tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. race — humankind
  15. season — in sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. object — to protest
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ball — a great time

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