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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: chip · mate · race · wax · rule · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rule — government
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chip — for betting
  15. race — humankind
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. race — a contest
  18. mate — a partner

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