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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: staff · racket · file · wax · deal · race

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — humankind
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — the arms race
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wax — to grow
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. deal — to handle
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. race — a contest
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. racket — a loud noise

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