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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 120 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 · wax · bass · track · spring · rash · race · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. staff — employees
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spring — of water
  9. staff — employees
  10. spring — the season
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. rash — hasty
  14. race — humankind
  15. bass — low music
  16. track — a song
  17. race — the arms race
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. race — a contest
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wax — in the ear

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