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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. hand — in cards
  8. band — a music group
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. race — humankind
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. last — final
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. last — finally
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chip — for betting
  20. last — to go on
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hand — help
  23. dip — to sink
  24. band — a ring

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