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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. season — in sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wax — to grow
  5. suit — in cards
  6. race — humankind
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — decided
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. race — a contest
  14. firm — a company
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rule — a law
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. firm — steady
  23. branch — a division
  24. season — of the year

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