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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. band — a ring
  3. board — a committee
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. roll — a cake
  7. key — in music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. race — a contest
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. board — to get on
  12. race — the arms race
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. field — a subject
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. roll — a list
  21. band — a music group
  22. field — farmland
  23. key — for a lock
  24. field — for sport

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