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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · rest · march · cabinet · cap · wax

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — humankind
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cap — of ice
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. rest — a break
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. race — a contest

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