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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. staff — employees
  4. race — humankind
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pit — a hole
  10. staff — employees
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wax — to grow
  19. field — farmland
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. field — a subject
  24. wake — before a funeral

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