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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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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: wax · kid · race · craft · file · club

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. club — a group
  3. file — a document
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wax — to grow
  10. craft — boats
  11. race — a contest
  12. club — for golf
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. craft — a skill
  15. race — humankind
  16. file — a tool
  17. kid — child
  18. file — a line of people

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